Bullet resistant vests are an item of personal armor that helps absorb the impact created by projectiles shot from firearms and shrapnel created by explosive materials. Bulletproof vests are worn on a torso of an individual, thus assisting in the prevention of injuries to essential body parts, and have become essential gear for the everyday operation of security personnel such as combat soldiers, police tactical units, hostage rescue teams and the like.
Vests are typically made of many layers of woven or laminated fibers, and may be combined with metal or ceramic plates for additional protection. Due to the layered structure of the vests, they are heavier and thicker than ordinary clothing items worn about the torso.
It is common for security personnel wearing a bullet-resistant vest to have to carry gear on their backs. The gear may be stored in a backpack and harnessed on the person's back using straps, belts, or the like.
Backpacks and harnesses are often combined with support elements aimed towards reduction of forces or pressure acting on the spinal cord or towards affecting intra-abdominal pressure caused by lifting heavy loads. Support elements typically comprise a lumbar belt worn around the waist. The lumbar belt couples the load to a user's hips, thus relieving some of the weight of the load carried upon the user's back and shoulders.
Harnessing a load on top of other gear such as a bullet resistant vest creates pressure upon a person's back. The lumbar belt may become ineffective when harnessed upon a person also wearing a bullet-resistant vest. The thickness and form of a vest might create a gap between the person's torso and the vest, thus preventing the lumbar belt from binding properly to the person's waist and eliminating the intended beneficial effect of the support elements.
US Patent application No. US2005082330 to Fehlberg Eric et al titled “Pack support with frictional load transfer” discloses a wearable load supporting system used to shift weight from the shoulders to the waist by relying on frictional engagement between two stiff structures. One of the structures may be incorporated within a ballistic vest.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,245 to Arakaki Steven titled “Backpack carrier and shield” discloses a backpack carrier essentially made of Kevlar wrapped in layers over a light metal frame and capable of becoming a built-in bulletproof shield. The carrier does not include or interact with a lumbar belt, and is not targeted towards shifting weight from the shoulders and upper back of a user to his waist or lower back.
The need remains therefore, for an effective, versatile and simple back support system for people wearing standard bullet resistant vests and such like layers of gear. Embodiments described hereinbelow address this need.